Kilkerrin Clonberne out to create more history this weekend
KILKERRIN-Clonberne booked their place in a tenth successive Connacht Senior Ladies Football Championship final after cruising to a 15-point victory over Glencar Manorhamilton in Leitrim last Saturday afternoon.
The 14-time Galway champions laid the foundations for their comprehensive win in the opening half, with Niamh Divilly and Louise Ward finding the net to give Willie Ward’s side a commanding 2-6 to 0-3 advantage at the interval. Ailish Morrissey added a third goal shortly after the restart to put the outcome beyond doubt.
Louise Ward finished with 1-3 for the North Galway outfit, while Niamh Divilly and Ailish Morrissey contributed 1-2 apiece. Olivia Divilly maintained her impressive scoring form with five points, including two from frees, while Lynsey Noone also got on the scoresheet.
Muireann Devaney was the standout performer for Glencar Manorhamilton, registering four points on a difficult afternoon for the Leitrim champions.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne will now face Mayo champions Knockmore in the Connacht final after they edged past Roscommon's Boyle in a closely contested semi-final on Sunday. Clodagh Keane scored the only goal of the game as Knockmore secured a narrow 1-8 to 0-10 victory.
The provincial decider between Kilkerrin-Clonberne and Knockmore will take place at Tuam Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with throw-in scheduled for 1pm.
The North Galway club will be aiming to extend their remarkable provincial dominance by claiming a ninth consecutive Connacht title. Their form throughout the Galway club championship suggests they will be difficult to stop, having amassed an outstanding 12-95 while conceding just 0-11.
Sunday's meeting will be a repeat of the 2023 Connacht final, when Kilkerrin-Clonberne proved too strong for Knockmore, recording a 2-15 to 1-7 victory.
It will also be the third time in the last four years that Galway and Mayo opposition have contested the provincial decider. Knockmore will bring plenty of quality into the contest, with Lara Sweeney among their key attacking threats after scoring five points against Boyle. Shauna Howley, Emily and Hannah Reape, along with Róisín Flynn, are other players Kilkerrin-Clonberne will need to keep a close eye on.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne: L Murphy; Aoibhin Madden, S Gormally, L Finnegan; H Noone, N Ward, C Costello; S Divilly, N Divilly (1-2); O Divilly (0-5, 0-2 frees), L Ward (1-3), Aisling Madden; C Boyle, A Morrissey (1-2), L Noone (0-1). Subs: E Hynes for Aoibhin Madden (h-t), A Shaughnessy for Boyle (49), A Costello for Finnegan (51), N Miskell for Morrissey (56).
Referee: G Canny (Mayo).